Cooking is one of life’s pleasures and with the popularity of a number of TV series such as My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef, there’s never been more interest in cooking and eating in.


“With the increased exposure of cooking shows and the growing presence of home entertaining in social media — Instagram food shots, Pinterest inspiration boards and the booming food blogger industry it would be hard to deny the overwhelming interest in the category, ” Freedom homewares buyer Abbey Hart said.

 

Jonathon Andony, general manager of sales and marketing at Kambo’s, agreed.

 

“Home chef enthusiasts have seen how easy it is to prepare nutritional, restaurant-quality food at home from these television series and are experimenting more at home and recreating what they see on TV, ” he said.

 

Mr Andony said the trend for home cooking was also influenced by a desire for healthy and economical foods.

 

“There has been a big focus on healthier eating and dining out for these options is expensive, ” he said. “Home- cooked meals tend to be more economical, nutritious and less calorie-dense than take-out, fast-food and restaurant meals.


SETTING THE SCENE

 

When it comes to tableware, Ms Hart said the tradition of investing in “forever” pieces was behind us.

 

“I think the days of putting a fine bone-china dinner service on your wedding registry that you hold on to for years are over, ” she said. “Customers are looking to bring fashion in to all areas of their home and your dining table is a perfect place to display your style personality.

 

“This being said, I think stemware is something that customers are investing a bit more money in, our range of European glassware is both classic and excellent quality but is still very affordable.”

 

Pennie Rende, Australian general manager of Williams- Sonoma, whose Pottery Barn and West Elm stores opened in the city yesterday, agreed that quality pieces — such as a white dinner set — were good investments. “Update your seasonal accessories such as napkins, ornaments and place settings to match the occasion, ” she said.

 

Emma McCarthy, of Table Culture in Subiaco, also believes in combining investment pieces with trend- driven items. “At Table Culture we believe in investing in timeless pieces and then having fun with inexpensive on-trend items to update the look such as accent plates, table linen and candles, ” she said.


TABLEWARE TRENDS

 

Some of the latest trends to refresh your table include black, marble and metallics.

 

“While wooden paddle boards are still popular for serving, we’ve also seen the emergence of marble boards, ” Ms Murphy said. “We’re seeing these in black, white or a wood/marble look. Pieces with a handmade aesthetic are sought after at the moment — we stock the Santo Alessi Organics range, which is currently being showcased on MasterChef.”

 

Ms McCarthy said she had also noticed the handmade trend, as well as an increase in pattern and colour. “There is a shift away from the all-white look with many introducing colour, pattern and accent pieces to add interest to a white base, ” she said.

 

“Royal Doulton Pacific is an example of graphic patterns.

 

“Metallics (such as) gold and copper are still strong as accents and used for casual settings, not just formal.”

 

Ms Hart agreed that marble continued to be a big trend, as was matt-black servingware and rustic timber serving boards.

 

COOKWARE ESSENTIALS


Justine Murphy, director of Kitchen Warehouse, said as a minimum every kitchen should have a saute pan (which could be used as a frypan), saucepan, stockpot or casserole and a roasting dish.

 

“When it comes to cookware, I think you do get what you pay for — if you scrimp on quality, you will end up having to replace your cookware sooner and it won’t perform as well. Cheaper products sometimes have inferior finishes, which means your food might be cooked on a surface that may not have the standards and checks that are applied to better-quality items.”
 

© The West Australian

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